The Medium Contemplates The End Of Her Marriage
by J. Bradley
I could talk to anyone I wanted except my husband. I begged him to talk about anything in the hopes he would reveal more of himself: the weather, the news, which professional wrestler he enjoyed watching this week. I’m better at showing how I feel, he said, before revealing this week’s apology bouquet for not saying enough (again).
I gave him my parting gift on the morning of our divorce. I told him that his mother said: I’m so sorry this is over. Don’t worry. You’ll find someone better. When he cried, I almost didn’t want to let him go.
J. Bradley is the author of Neil And Other Stories (Whiskey Tit Books, 2018) and Greetings From America: Letters from the Trade War (Whiskey Tit Books, 2019). He lives at jbradleywrites.com.
What surprising, fascinating stuff can you tell us about the origin, drafting, and/or final version of “The Medium Contemplates The End Of Her Marriage”? This originally was a poem in a series of poems I’m working on where different characters in the circus address the demise of their relationships. When I looked at the poem, I didn’t feel like the heart of the poem was there but there was good idea worth saving. Sometimes, a poem isn’t always a poem. You have to trust yourself to acknowledge that and dig out something more interesting.
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Submissions
Poetry, creative nonfiction, and fiction/prose poetry submissions are now closed. The reading period for standard submissions opens again March 15, 2023. Submit here.
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